


AU - Despair

by Aria6



Series: A Coyote's Stories [49]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Aizen is an Asshole, Alternate Universe, Dark, Gore, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-15
Updated: 2015-02-15
Packaged: 2018-03-13 02:16:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3364037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria6/pseuds/Aria6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Author's Note: This little drabble is extremely dark. Enjoy?</p>
    </blockquote>





	AU - Despair

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This little drabble is extremely dark. Enjoy?

He existed in a unique state of emotional and physical pain.

The physical pain came from the sensations of his body. He could see nothing, hear nothing, but he could still feel. He could feel the rough, callused hands on him, the pain as his hair was gripped and his body was dragged up. He could feel the hot thing against his lips, demanding that his mouth be opened. He did it without hesitation, letting the one above him do what he wanted. It was strange, feeling the urgent motions without hearing the sounds. He vaguely knew there would be pants and grunts and groans, but he could hear nothing.

But he could feel the pain. That came when the cock was removed from his mouth and his body was yanked around so the other could take him, without any kind of preparation. He would have whimpered, but he couldn't, and even if he could he couldn't hear it. He could only experience the suffering of his body. He didn't try to fight at any time. Because it was _right,_ that he would be in such pain.

The only thing he could hear was the echoes of her voice, in his head. They tormented him even as his body was tormented, the only sound his mind could register anymore.

_Starrk! What's going on? Starrk?_

_Where are you Starrk? Stop scaring me!_

_Starrk! Save me!_

_Starrk!_

_STARRK! NO! DON'T LET THEM! STARRK!_

_Starrk…_

_Starrk…_

…

Even if he could have fought them, he wouldn't have. He simply endured, experiencing the pain as it came and went.

He deserved nothing less, for failing her.

* * *

It had all started with a contract.

Starrk didn't like killing. He'd fallen into the trade because of his own nature. He was a product of incredibly mixed breeding. His mother had been a tiefling, tainted by demonic blood. But his father… his father had been of the purest royal blood, touched with divinity. It seemed insane that a celestial being would mate with something so dirty, but Starrk supposed that had been the appeal. Nothing could be lower than a tiefling whore. And for all their godly blood, the inhabitants of the Royal realm were still… human.

So Starrk had been born with gifts. He was fast, brilliantly swift. Agile. Strong enough to bend iron bars. His endurance was phenomenal, along with his pain tolerance. And he had a knack for magic. He could detect it and often enough, break it.

At first he'd made his living as a thief. But that had been dangerous. The thieves' guild had tried to recruit him and their terms had just been unacceptable. Seeking some kind of refuge, Starrk had fallen in with the assassins. That had been even worse but he hadn't realized it at the time.

The 'King' of the assassins was an old man named Barragan. He'd immediately started grooming Starrk for special missions, things most assassins just couldn't do. But then something unexpected had happened. Starrk had caught the eye of someone even higher than his 'master'. Sosuke Aizen was a very high noble and a dangerous man. Starrk hadn't trusted him but he'd known better than to refuse someone of that stature, when was asked to become a private tool and toy.

Trading his body for favors was nothing new. Nor was using his knife on behalf of another. Starrk had allowed himself to be 'kept' in return for the safety of his mother and the education of his little sister. She was nothing but a tiefling, with some unknown human father. For almost three years, they had been happy.

It had all ended with brutal finality. Aizen had sent him on a very difficult, dangerous mission. The elimination of an old and wily opponent, Kyoraku Shunsui. Starrk had been cautious but confident. He'd made no mistakes. His approach had been flawless.

His opponent had just been _better_. It had been like playing against the best chessmaster in the world… Shunsui had predicted every move he made. He'd brought Starrk down but kept him alive, intending to trade him to Aizen for a prisoner dear to him, a woman that the rival noble had somehow captured.

Aizen had made the trade but not because he valued Starrk. He'd made the trade because Nanao didn't mean that much to him and he wanted to punish his treasured assassin for his failure. And he had. Oh, he had… Starrk's punishment had begun with his personal torture. At first he'd had some hope that he might be given a second chance, but that had vanished when they'd taken his eyes. He'd known he was done, then. His career and quite probably his life were over.

He could have accepted that if Aizen had kept his deal, kept his mother and sister safe. But no… he'd been forced to listen, unable to see, as his mother was raped and murdered. Then his sister, little Lilinette… she had been so young. So very young to suffer that way. She'd cried for him the whole time, expecting her big brother to save her, like he always had before. They hadn't let her see him, see that he couldn't even save himself.

After that, his own torture had continued. They had burst his eardrums, ruined his hearing. Something had been done to his throat, taking away his voice. At that point, Starrk had lost track of what was happening. He had no idea who owned him at this point. He merely existed, suffering and hoping, in a vague sort of way, that someone would kill him. Not that he deserved the mercy of death, but he wanted it anyway. Perhaps then he could see Lilinette again.

Starrk had no concept of time anymore. There was nothing to mark it with, no internal or external rhythms. He didn't know that it would be three years before his circumstances changed…

* * *

"Finally." Shunsui breathed as they began their final attack.

At last, Aizen had overstepped. They were going to destroy him, and all the men and women who served him. Although that made him remember the grey eyed assassin, the brilliant young man who'd come very close to ending his life. Shunsui couldn't help but wonder what had become of him. He'd expected to cross blades with the young man again, but he never had. No one else had mentioned him either. It was like he'd vanished.

The attack went perfectly, except for one thing, and that was Aizen. Somehow he'd gotten wind of their move in time to escape. Shunsui cursed to himself, wondering if they would ever truly bring that man down. But at least he was a man on the run, now. They would get him, soon.

"Shunsui?" Juushiro. Shunsui looked over at his friend with a smile, an expression that quickly vanished as he saw the sober expression on his face. "We've found a… strange prisoner in one of the bedrooms. I think you should see him."

"Hm? What do you mean?" He asked, surprised. A prisoner kept in the bedrooms? That… sounded ominous. Juushiro's lips tightened as he looked away.

"Do you remember that boy, the one who almost killed you?" Juushiro said and Shunsui blinked. "It… seems to be him. I'm fairly sure. And it's not good."

"What…?" Shunsui breathed before gripping Juushiro's arm. "Take me to him." What had Aizen done? That young man had been marvelous! Surely he wouldn't have… but Aizen had very little tolerance for failure. And often, he liked to break his toys when he was done with them.

What Juushiro showed him was horrifying. The young man was kneeling on a pad in the corner of the room. Shunsui swallowed as he looked at him, seeing all the marks. The scars were ugly and spoke of torture to him. His wrists were bound behind him, shackled in an uncomfortable position and bound to the wall with a chain. There was a heavy collar around his throat, also designed to be uncomfortable, and a black blindfold over his eyes.

"I'm tried to speak to him but he doesn't respond. I can't find the key for the chains." Juushiro said softly and Shunsui nodded.

"Coyote Starrk?" He knew the man's name. He'd asked and the man had given it, for the brief time he'd held him captive. There was no response. "Starrk?" Not even a twitch. Shunsui frowned. Something was very wrong here. Reaching down, he tugged on the blindfold and found it was very firmly in place. The young man couldn't possibly see a thing. Pulling out a dagger he quickly sliced through the fabric –

And heard Juushiro's gasp as they both saw what lay beneath. Shunsui had to swallow back nausea as he took in the empty eye sockets. The blindfold fell to the ground as the young man lifted his face, feeling the lack of the fabric.

"Sweet kami." Shunsui whispered, feeling faint. "Why…?" The young man had been such a treasure. So much power, so very young. He'd just needed time… time he hadn't been given. "Starrk, can you hear me?" He asked and wasn't surprised when the boy didn't even twitch. "He's been deafened." After seeing what had been done to his eyes, it was a logical conclusion. "We need to get him to the healers." Although he doubted there was much they could do.

What could anyone do with this?

* * *

Shunsui watched as the priestess knelt beside the young man.

Her name was Inoue Orihime and she was genuinely touched by the gods. She didn't see everyone, only cases that had no hope beyond true miracles. Shunsui had personally gone to the temple to petition them for help with Starrk. His request had been granted, but only at the cost of a special archway, to be constructed at the site of a new temple. It would be very expensive, but he didn't care about that.

"Kyoraku-san… I can heal the physical damage. But the mental is not something I can touch." She said as she looked up and he was surprised to see tears glimmering in those large grey eyes. "He is so… his mind is looping. There is so much pain and guilt, it floats around him like a cloud. I don't know if you can…" She laced her fingers together, looking at the man in front of her. He was wearing a blindfold, again, although this one was not so cruelly tight. The white fabric hid those empty eye sockets.

"I have to try." He said softly. He just needed to do this. He'd accidentally sentenced Coyote Starrk to this fate and Shunsui felt responsible. He had no idea if rehabilitation was even possible, but he was determined to try. "Heal him." Inoue looked at him for a moment before holding her hands over the man. A shield of gold sprung up around him and Shunsui watched in fascination as the healing power took hold. Briefly, he wished that blindfold wasn't in the way. It would be interesting to see the eyes rebuilding.

The young man jerked, a surprised movement. Then a hand went up to touch the blindfold on his face, before pulling it away. Grey eyes blinked and fixed on Orihime before the young man smiled. It was such a sweet expression that Shunsui's breath caught in his throat.

"Beautiful." He murmured as the godly power continued to work on him, wiping away even the scars from what he had endured. "Is my sister here?" He asked and Shunsui felt his gut clench. Sister?

"Was she being held at Aizen's mansion?" He asked and Starrk blinked as the young man looked at him. Those soft grey eyes seemed to dim. His smile faded and Shunsui watched as the hope vanished from his eyes.

"…No. She wasn't being held there." He said after a moment. "I… am alive." Starrk said and Shunsui wasn't surprised he was confused. After all, he'd just been given back his eyes. That should not have been possible. "Lilynette…" He turned his head away, resting his cheek against the pillow beneath his head. His shoulders shook and Shunsui knew he was crying, silently.

Shunsui couldn't stand it. As the golden shield shattered, he gathered up the young man on the mat, taking him into his arms. He wouldn't have been surprised if Starrk had pushed him away, but instead the young man clung to him, pressing his face against his chest. He could feel the hot tears, the shaking body in his arms. He didn't have to ask what had happened to his sister. Starrk had thought he was dead and had expected to see her…

He could only hold the young man and promise, to himself, that Aizen would pay for his crimes. It might take years, decades, but he would find that man and kill him.

No one deserved to suffer what Coyote Starrk had endured.


End file.
